After the dust had settled, the cradle was finally at peace with its new state. All that could have collapsed already had, with nothing to disrupt the re-established peace that shrouded this once sacred place. Now resembling the ruins of some alien civilization, almost nothing was left of its prior form.

Virno: Nngh...

Rummaging through a pile of debris, a black and white fennec fox seemed to have found a suitable meal. As its small but sharp teeth try to pierce Virno's skin, the little creature begins tugging away, attempting to pull its meal from the rubble that encased it.

Virno: T-the hell?!

Having now come to his senses, Virno feels the slightly sharp sting of its teeth on his wrist. Though his eyes were open, all was pitch black around him, most likely due to the debris that he was buried underneath, he thought. Swatting the fox away with a surprisingly strong arm fling, he easily manages to pull himself out from under the rubble. His body felt different, once again. He was taller, stronger... It seemed he had transcended his human form once again -- hopefully for good, he thought. Yet...

Virno: No...

Taking his hands up to his eyes, he knew for sure something was wrong. He had already felt how cold his eye sockets were. Though he looked around after freeing himself, he still couldn't see anything. As he reaches inside them, he feels the icy touch of some kind of cracked mineral. Though he could not see his own figure, his eyes had crystallized. They had turned into two shattered jade orbs, rendering his eyesight completely useless.

Virno: Repercussions, huh...?

Dropping to his knees, he clenched his hands in wrath. Though he had just fought the guardian not long ago, his body seemed to have healed practically all his injuries from the battle. Everything felt normal, better than normal even... Except for his sight. He was now blind.

Black and white fox: GRRR...

Unhappy with its unruly prey, the fox snarled, ready to pounce at Virno while holding some weapon in its teeth... As Virno's head turns to face it, his eyes suddenly pick up on something. A green silhouette had come into view, resembling the shape of a weapon he had come to know all too well.

Virno: The sword...!

As the fox jumps in his direction, ready to slice him with the blade, Virno grabs it in mid-air, his thick skin denying the weapons entry into the flesh. Dangling in mid-air still holding onto the blade, the fox whimpers.

Virno: Get lost, will you?

Blindly reaching out in the direction of the creature, he hoped to grab it by the scruff of its neck, yet something far sharper awaited him. The fox nimbly let go of the sword's hilt as his fingers came into reach, and instead snapped its jaws on Virno's middle and ring finger. Though they still didn't draw blood, the sensation was annoying enough to make him angrier.

This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

Virno: Dammit, find something else to chew on!

Aggressively shaking his arm, he manages to send the fox flying into the ground at bone-breaking speeds, yet it strangely slowed down its fall just before the point of impact, graciously landing on its four legs.

Virno: The obelisk... I have to destroy it.

Looking around, Virno hoped that the obelisk's magic too could cast a silhouette around it, similar to the sword's magic... Yet there was no such luck. His eyes seemed to be exclusively attuned to the blade's energy.

Virno: Alright... So be it.

Grabbing the dirty blindfold around his neck, Virno places it over his eyes. Then, he holds the sword with his left hand as he channels energy into it. Runes begin lighting up along its blade, with Virno appearing to be in control of their behavior once more. After imbuing the sword with power for some time, the glyphs had settled on a specific pattern, seemingly reaching some sort of stable state. He points it downward, then thrusts it toward the ground. A powerful stream of air erupts from its tip, continuously producing a gust that carries with it rocks and other relatively large chunks of rubble... Unbeknownst to him, the poor fox was also caught in the blast.

Black and white fox: Yiiip!!!

Blown away by the strong wind, it is launched high into the air and out of Virno's hearing radius.

Virno: Welp. Sorry about that...

Dialling down the magical output, the stream's power decreases, now becoming a slight breeze. As the wind comes into contact with the surfaces around, Virno's gaze is able to pick up on the trajectory of the current, allowing him to use the air itself as a crude replacement for his sight, leveraging it to navigate the area around him. Though not nearly as practical as the ability to see, it was useful enough to permit him to traverse the landscape without tripping on anything or colliding with any obstacles. Guided by the wind, he finally arrives at the location of the obelisk... Yet the way the wind warped and bent around it made him feel like something wasn't quite as he remembered-.

Virno: The shape is all wrong... It's a black stone slab, not... Not a...

He grits his teeth as his mind finally comes to understand the shape described by the wind's motion.

Virno: Winged monster... The guardian. Hmph.

Moving his arm to the side he imbues power into the sword once more, altering its runic configuration. A new pattern emerges, casting a menacing aura around its blade. Virno brings it high overhead, charging a mighty swing.

Virno: Good effort.

Bringing it down with all its strength, the sword hits the Guardian's solidified body directly, producing a loud ringing sound as it vibrates wildly upon striking a seemingly indestructible target. A massive blast of wind is released from the point of impact, dispersing a powerful current throughout the cradle. Virno's mouth is held agape.

Virno: No way... It's supposed to cut through anything...!

He strikes it again. And again. And again. With each strike, the structure seemed to remain entirely intact.

Virno: Why...? Why would you protect it?!

Embedding the sword on the ground in frustration, Virno shouts at the top of his lungs.

Virno: DOES NOTHING EVER GO MY WAY?!

Voice from above: Viiirno...!

Suddenly, a familiar voice seemed to be calling out to him from high above. Virno recognized it... It was Rotavitea's.

Rotavitea: I know you're down there, I can hear you whining all the way up here! Do you have the damn thing or not?!

Looking at the sword as it lay embedded on the cracked ground, Virno took a deep, exhausted breath before replying.

Virno: I got it, alright...!

As Rotavitea made her way down the debris, Virno wrenched the blade from the ground and walked towards her voice.

Virno: In truth, it seems it got me more than I got it...